


Traveling On

by notsospookymulder



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 06:18:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3164426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsospookymulder/pseuds/notsospookymulder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a one shot of how I wished Coda would've went.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Traveling On

All he could see was red. The red pooling around her head, stark against the white floor. The red, out of place in her light golden locks. Everything blurred together, and he couldn't make himself see anything, think about anything other than red.

"Daryl?" A voice faintly called to him.

He couldn't stop the tears, no matter how hard he tried, from rolling down his cheeks.

"Daryl?!" The voice was louder now, and everything started to fall apart. Beth was gone. The blood was gone.

Daryl awoke with a gasp, and lifted his head to see Sasha crouching next to him with a worried expression. He rubbed a calloused hand over his face, the image of Beth still fresh in his mind.

"You're crying," Sasha said with some astonishment in her voice.

"It's nothin'," He growled and wiped his eyes quickly.

"What'd you dream about?" She grabbed his shoulder and sat down next to him.

He was hesitant to tell her at first, the only people he had ever opened up to were somewhere in Grady Hospital. Maybe it was because he had just woken up, or that he just wanted to say her name, but he decided to tell her.

"Beth," His voice was so low, she almost couldn't hear him. Her hand squeezed his shoulder lightly and a sympathetic look slid onto her face.

"We're gonna get her back, both of them." She gave his shoulder another squeeze and stood back up, her gun bumping her hip. He nodded lightly and watched as she went back to taking watch. 

He let his head fall back against the wall and look around the room. Everyone was asleep, getting much needed rest for what they were about to do. They needed to be alert, focused, just in case anything went wrong. Which normally was the way things went for their group.

He closed eyes, trying not to let the image of Beth lying in blood enter his thoughts. He worried that it was a premonition or something. He wasn't one to believe in that sort of thing, but when it came to Beth, he became paranoid. He wanted her safe, alive. And he knew one thing for sure, once he got her back, he was never leaving her side.

\-----

 

"Here," Dawn walked into Beth's room and threw her old clothes at her, "Get dressed."

"Why? What's going on?" Beth narrowed her eyes but Dawn didn't waver.

"A group of people are here to trade," The muscle in her jaw ticked and Beth could tell she was angry about the situation, "two of my cops, for you and that other woman."

Daryl.

Just at the thought of him, made her heart thump. And the thought of reuniting with her family, brought a small smile to her face.

She pulled on her clothes, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Before walking out, she grabbed a small pair of scissors from under her mattress and stuck them in her cast. Just in case something went wrong. Taking one more deep breath, she opened the door and walked out.

Dawn was already waiting, with a few cops surrounding Carol behind her. She felt an hand graze her shoulder and she turned to see Dr. Edwards with a grave look on his face. She gave him a small smile, and turned back towards Dawn. They began their walk down the hallway and Beth positioned herself behind Carol. They made it towards the middle of the last hallway and the cops in front of them stopped. As Beth pulled the wheel chair to a halt, Carol raised a hand and grabbed Beth's, giving it a small squeeze.

"Holster your weapons." Dawn said into her radio. 

A few seconds went by before the wooden doors at the end of the hall opened. The first face she saw was Daryl, and her heart leapt inside her chest. She wanted to run to him, wrap her arms around him and walk out the doors. She searched for Maggie amongst the faces of the group, but she couldn't find her, and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. The cops turned towards  
her and Carol, and she pushed the wheelchair forward.

"They haven't been harmed." A familiar, rough voice said and her heart jumped. In a way, Rick had become somewhat of a second father figure for her. Her mind raced with thoughts of Judith and Carl, wondering if they were still alive. Her thoughts drowned out Dawn's voice, and she wished that it would be over already.

"One of your's for one of mine." Dawn's words brought Beth back to the matter at hand. 

"Alright." Rick nodded for Daryl to let the male cop go. 

Dawn did the same to the cop next to Beth, and he pushed Carol forward. She watched as they exchanged, and before she knew it Dawn was grabbing her arm and leading her towards her family. Rick let the female cop go, and Beth walked towards him. She gave him a small smile, and he put a hand gently on the side of head. 

"Glad we could work things out." She heard Dawn say as Daryl reached out a hand towards her. She walked over to him and he put an  
arm around her. She felt safe, like she was finally home again.

"Now I just need Noah." The words stopped everyone in their tracks, and Beth heartbeat quickened.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Rick started but Dawn cut in.

"Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and now i'm losing her so I need him back."

Rage, bubbled inside Beth, a feeling she wasn't used to. She didn't even hear the rest of Dawn's words, all she could hear was the thump of her heart inside her ears.

"He ain't stayin," Daryl's pushed Noah back.

"You have no claim on him."

"The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him." Rick said lowly.

"It's okay," Noah limped forward and Beth wanted to pull him back. 

"It's not okay," Beth mumbled as he gave Rick his gun, "Wait!" She ran forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's okay," He whispered in her ear and she fought back her tears. 

"I knew you'd be back." Dawn said and Beth's eyes shot up to her face. The smug look on her face, made the rage inside Beth reach it's boiling point. Dawn wasn't a leader, and she wasn't really saving anyone. She was scared, and used people to keep herself safe. She wasn't strong at all. She needed to be in command of others to feel strong.

She stood in front of her, and somehow she seemed so much smaller now. Dawn looked back her with narrowed eyes, and Beth clenched her jaw.

"I get it now." She pulled the scissors from her cast and jammed them into Dawn's neck. A loud shot sounded in the hallway and her ears began to ring. She felt intense pain in her leg and she looked down to see red spreading across her thigh. She looked up again, to see Dawn on her knees with the scissors still in her neck, blood squirting everywhere. Without warning a bullet went through Dawn's forehead and she fell against the tile. Blood pooled around her head, and Beth's vision started to go black.

She fell onto her side and felt a pair of hands shaking her. She closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted, and everything went dark.

_____

"She'll be fine, she just shouldn't walk on it." Dr. Edwards voice sounded near her. "You could stay here, if you wanted, so she can recover properly."

"We'll see about that." Daryl's gruff reply was closer and a small smile forced it's way onto her face.

Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Daryl's blue eyes locked with her own. She smiled and for the first time in a while she saw a small smile grace his features. Her heart skipped at the sight and she felt heat creep onto her cheeks.

"How ya feelin?" 

"Got any moonshine on hand?" She laughed lightly and Daryl rolled his eyes at her with a small smile of his own. 

"So, what's the verdict?" She looked down at her legs and moved them around a bit, making sure they were both there.

"You lucked up, the bullet didn't go in too deep," She saw his lips tighten and she knew what he was thinking. "What were you thinkin, doing something like that?"

"I had to," She whispered and he shook his head.

"You could've died." He choked out the words and looked away.

"I know," She nodded and he turned back to her with a glare, "But I had to. You don't know the things that went on here. What she let happen. What she did."

Daryl nodded and without warning, he grabbed her hand. She gave his hand a small squeeze and he squeezed back. A small smile appeared on her lips, and his stomach did a back flip. From the moment she had been taken away, this is what he had been waiting for. He had missed her warmth, the way her smile seemed to fill him and everything else around her with light. 

The sound of a throat clearing, had them retracting their hands and snapping their heads towards the door. Rick leaned against  
the wooden frame with a knowing look.

"How ya feelin?" He looked at Beth and she smiled up at him.

"Ain't dead, so I think it could be worse." 

Daryl lips tightened and she shrugged lightly.

"Well, we were planning on heading out," Rick looked down at her leg, "but I think we can stay awhile longer, while you recuperate."

"No," Beth said quickly and both Rick and Daryl stared her down, "I'm ready to get out of this place."

"I know," Rick rubbed a hand over his beard, "but you can hardly walk."

"It's not that bad," She rolled her eyes, "Sides I think I've been through quite enough, that a little pain won't stop me."

"You sure?" She nodded, feeling Daryl's eyes on her, and Rick smiled.

"Alright, I'll go tell everyone." He patted her hand and walked out of the room.

"What?" Beth sighed, turning to meet Daryl's glare.

"I know you're stubborn, but I didn't think you was borderline stupid." Daryl growled and she let his words bounce off of her, knowing he was just worried.

"We need to get moving as quick as possible," She threw the sheets back and positioned herself so that she was sitting on the side of the bed. "Plus, i'm ready to be out of this place."

"Just think you should wait until you're healed is all." He put a hand around her as she began to stand. 

She was a bit wobbly at first but once she steadied herself she felt better than ever. Sure there was a pain shooting through her leg with every movement, but she was finally leaving the Grady Memorial. This was a day she'd been dreaming about for weeks.

Daryl stepped out while she put her clothes back on but was by her side as soon as she was dressed. 

"Here," Daryl reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out the knife she had taken from him. She could've cried, she was so happy. 

"I thought I left this on the side of the road!" She smiled up at him and took the knife gently.

"You did. I grabbed it." He was looking at anything but her, "Sorry I couldn't grab the rest of your stuff."

Ignoring his discomfort, Beth stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

"Thank you," She said softly and tucked the knife back into her waistband. Daryl's eyes were wide and she was afraid she might've given him a heart attack. When he noticed her smiling up at him, he glared down at her.

"Don't mention it," He growled and started towards the door.

Beth took in the hospital room, thinking about how strong she had become since she had first awoken in the small hospital bed. It had felt like years since she had been taken from Daryl, and as much as she hated to think it, she sometimes had worried she would never see her family again.

"You comin' or what Greene? I ain't gonna wait all day for ya." Daryl's gruff voice shook her out of her thoughts and she started towards the door.

"Yes, Mr. Dixon." She rolled her eyes as she followed him out into the hallway.

"Don't you start that shit again."


End file.
